The Lost and The Missing
by The Astronomer Brony
Summary: They never thought that Voltron could be physically torn apart, and yet the Red Lion was torn off during battle and was taken by the Galra empire, Keith along with it. Shiro drives himself mad working and trying to find him, but will the team be driven apart before they can get him back? (ShiroxKeith)
1. Chapter 1

The creature they were fighting was huge. Larger than they had ever fought. The tops of its horns stretched well above Voltron's head. It was dragon like, but had the long, curling horns of a ram as well as the hind legs of a lion and leathery bats wings. It screeched and reared its massive head, wings stretching.

"It's gonna try to fly again!" Pidge cried. Voltron stepped back, massive shield forming and raising its sword.

"Everyone get ready to defend!" Shiro shouted.

"What do you think we're doing!?" Lance yelled back, slapping a few buttons. Keith growled but bit his tongue. The last thing they needed was more shouting. He swallowed as Voltron bent to one knee, hiding behind the shield. The massive creature beat its wings, dust flying in all directions. A few moments later, a beam of fire hit the shield. The force behind it drove Voltron back, leaving deep gouges in the grounds. There was another screech as the monster hit the ground again, head hanging low.

"I think it's getting tired" Keith pointed out. The others made sounds of agreement.

"If we strike now, we can finish it!" Hunk said, hope etched into his voice.

"Keith, we need your sword!" Shiro cried, Voltron getting to its feet and charging the being. The red lion raised the sword and swung.

But its hit didn't land. The dragon reared back its head and latched its mouth onto the Red Lion. Then, with unimaginable power, it pulled the Red Lion clean off of Voltron. It whipped its head around and threw the lion across the rocky landscape. Still being in its compacted form, it wasn't able to land and was smashed against a rocky outcropping. The last sound they heard before the communications went out was Keith's panicked screams. His screen in the other lions filled with static and everything went quiet.

"KEITH!" Shiro cried, face pale and mouth hanging slightly open. His heart hammered while he waited in vain for a response. His teeth pulled back in a snarl.

"Lance! Gun! Now!"

Voltron formed the massive gun and fired relentlessly and the tired creature. Finally, it fell. Silence fell among the battle field.

"Disassemble" Shiro hissed into the mic in his helmet. Voltron broke apart into the separate parts and the Black Lion darted forward. Before it even reached Keith, however, two more Galra ships landed between them. Shiro charged forward, undaunted and unresponsive to the shouts of his teammate. He had but one goal, and that was to get to Keith. Or, it was, until the yellow lion barreled into him, knocking him off course.

Lance flew in as well to aid Hunk in picking up the Black Lion and flying off. Shiro was shouting, but his lion itself was against him and refused to operate.

"No! We can't leave him! We need to get to Keith!" He yelled, tears building in the corners of his eyes as he hit the buttons that no longer worked for him.

They were back on the ship. He couldn't remember what had happened. His arms were tied behind his back, and his team stared at him with wide eyes. Lance was glaring, his right eye ringed with purple. Pidge had blood gushing out of his nose. Shiro had very vague memories of it. He blinked a few times, eyes stinging in the light. He swallowed, feeling how dry his throat was. He tried to speak, but all that came out was a dry croak. Allura crouched beside him, placing a hand gently on his shoulder.

"Don't try to speak. You need to drink water." She carefully lifted a glass and tipped it, allowing him to take a few long gulps. He finished off the glass and coughed before attempting to speak again.

"W-what happened?" he asked, mind foggy.

None of them were looking forward to reminding him. Finally, Pidge stepped forward.

"You remember the dragon we were fighting, right?" he asked, shoving his glasses further up his nose. Shiro's brows furrowed before he nodded.

"Well, we won, but... um.." he looked around for help. Shiro's confused expression cleared as he remembered. The fight. The loss of the red lion. Keiths screams. He paled, eyes wide.

"How long?" he asked, voice hoarse.

"Three da-" Allura answered, but was cut off as Shiro jerked forward, struggling against his bindings.

" _Three days?"_ he hissed out of clenched teeth. His sudden burst of anger surprised them and they all took a step back. Allura dropped the glass and it shattered against the ground.

"Zarkon has had him for _three days!?_ Do you know what could happen in three days!?" he bellowed. Coran stepped in front of Allura, glaring at Shiro and ready to protect her with his life if Shiro showed a sign of becoming a danger towards the princess.

Finally, Lance growled and he turned on his heel, glaring right back at Shiro.

"We're all worried about Keith, and you're acting like a child. Maybe, if you had thought about this logically, we could have tried to get him back already!"

"What part of this is logical?" Shiro shouted back. "Without Keith, we can't for Voltron! We can't fight! Without Keith, we aren't a team!" Shiro snarled, face red with rage.

Lance opened his mouth to fight back, but Allura stepped in.

"Shiro, had you continued the fight, we would have lost all of Voltron. You already couldn't form Voltron and you would have all been defeated. He is inside the Lion, which will put up its barriers." she continued on, cutting off Shiro when he opened his mouth to retaliate. "The same barriers that the Galra couldn't pierce for ten thousand years. There are supplies on that ship and Keith is smart. He's a survivor. He'll be fine until we can get to him."

Shiro sagged against his restraints, finally hanging his head. The tension in the room dropped slightly and Hunk stepped in.

"Okay, I think we all need time to cool down. Let's call it a night. We'll re-group in the morning to figure out where to go from here."

And like that, they all left. Allura and Coran walked off towards the main control room. Pidge made his way down to his workshop, and Lance stalked to his bedroom. Hunk stayed behind and cut Shiro's ropes before helping him up. Just before Shiro walked away, he placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You know, we're all worried about him. I know why you feel like you need to charge in. Love does that, but please look at this through a clean lens."

Shiro opened his mouth to deny Hunks words, but he held up his hand.

"We know, Shiro. We've all known about you guys for a while, and we don't think any differently of you. I know you feel like the world is ending, but remember what Allura said. Keith is smart, and he's a survivor. He'll stay alive, and we'll get him back." Hunk then turned and walked away. Shiro stood still for another moment before slowly making his way to his room. He was unprepared for what was inside. It was exactly as he had left it, but everything was sharper. A few of Keith's shirts and a pair of his pants lay scattered on the floor. The blankets on his bed were askew. Slowly and numbly, he changed into a pair of sweat pants and crawled into bed, not bothering with a shirt. And lying there, in the dark and quiet with Keith's scent floating in the air, Shiro broke. He cried, sobs wracking his body. It felt like his heart had been torn out. He could only imagine what some of the men he had served with would say if they saw him now. He let out a bitter laugh which caught in his throat and turned into another wretched sob. And he fell asleep like that, drowning in misery and heart-ache.

A/N: So this is my first Voltron fic. I ship Shiro and Keith, but I also ship Lance and Keith, so I'm thinking about writing a Klance fic after I finish this. Poor Shiro doesn't deserve this. Let me know what you guys think! Please review! Thanks!


	2. Chapter 2

Keith groaned. His head was throbbing, and he had a horrible burning feeling on his side. Slowly he opened his eyes, adjusting to the light. He blinked a few times, trying to make his vision focus. He always had bad eyesight, and that was no less true now. Everything was fuzzy, colors bleeding into each other. Finally, he lifted his head and looked around. The side of his face felt sticky with what he soon realized was blood. It took him a few seconds to recognize where he was. His heart raced as his fingers flew across the red lion's control panel, trying desperately to get it to do something, anything.

"Come on, Red. Come on, come on!" he growled, slamming his hands on any button he could see. The lion remained motionless, the small red lights above him being the only sign that there was any energy left whatsoever. Keith choked out a hacking sob as he placed his head on his hands. Nerves and anxiety were climbing up from his stomach, forming a hard lump in his throat that felt like it was choking him. He took a few deep breaths, each one more even than the last. He couldn't lose it. Not now. He had to find a way out of this.

He carefully climbed out of his chair, wincing as the muscles in his right side stretched. He let out a strangled groan of pain and crumpled to the floor as he felt a wave of wet warmth spill from his torso and could tell from the smell it was blood. Lots of it. He cursed under his breath and clawed his way across the floor, keeping one hand pressed firmly against his wound. He made his way to the far side of the room and rummaged through some of the emergency boxes that were stored in there. Some were newer than others. He opened the more recent ones and was relieved to find it filled to the brim with clean, cotton bandages and different bottles and pills. He moved on to the next one, which was slightly older and had Altean runes carved around it. Inside he found a multitude of strange crystals that were arranged by color. He grabbed what seemed to be an orange one and the moment his hand touched it, it flared to life, casting bright light throughout the room. Light crystals. Those would come in handy.

He dragged himself until he was sitting in an upright position against the wall and placed the crystal between his knees, allowing him to see what he was doing. Slowly, he pulled off his sticky shirt and cast it aside. Now he saw his wound in its full glory, and it wasn't pretty. He cringed and gently prodded the surrounding flesh, feeling the pain shoot through his midsection. It was deep. He reached into the medical supplies and grabbed what he hoped was some kind of disinfectant and rubbed a thick layer onto the gash. It took a few seconds for the pain to hit. It stung like he had poured lemon juice onto the wound instead of ointment, but worse. He let out a strangled shout, gritting his teeth and kicking out his leg, sweat pouring down his now flushed face. The pain diminished after a minute, leaving him panting on the ground.

"Shit" he breathed between clenched teeth, trying desperately not to scratch at the cut. The pain had changed from stinging to itching. With shaking hands, he began to wind the white bandages around his torso, stretching it out as much as he could. It took him a few minutes, but he finally got them tightly wound. He leaned back against the wall and let out a breath, trying to clear his frazzled thoughts.

He was okay. He was safe. He was inside the red lion. He had medical supplies and rations. He could survive for a while.

He stayed like that for a few more minutes while trying to get his breathing under control. After he felt like he wasn't suffocating, he carefully opened his eyes and set about trying to stand. This was a lot harder than he thought it would be. His hands gripped the control panel as he relied on the muscles in his arms alone to pull himself to his feet while attempting to stretch his stomach as little as possible. Groaning, he hefted himself up and allowed himself to lean across the surface, letting out a sigh of relief as he felt the cool glass press against the heated flesh of his stomach. His breath left a thin layer of moisture across the panel, and he watched it slowly grow and recede in time with his breaths through unfocused eyes. He noticed black dots slowly eating away at his vision and blinked rapidly, forcing himself to stand. He sighed and leaned against the wall, pressing his shoulder into the cool metal.

"Okay, Red. What do we do now?" He asked the unresponsive lion. He missed the constant feel of power running through him, the gentle roars and purrs that only he could decipher. He sighed again before lightly shoving off from the wall and staggering back to the corner of the room that held the crates of supplies. He picked up what he decided was the lightest one, but still grunted as his stomach muscles took the brunt of the force. He placed it on the small surface above it and cracked it open, revealing many packages with a metallic sheen to them. He took one in hand and pulled it open, revealing what seemed to be crackers. His stomach let out a small growl at the sight and he pulled one out, examining it closely. When he deemed it safe, he popped it into his mouth and chewed carefully, happy to find it much like an earth cracker; wheat-y and salty and dry. He glanced around to the other boxes, looking for one that he had just put in there a few weeks prior. He spotted the large, metallic box and smiled before hobbling over to it and undoing the small, modern latch. It was filled with water bottles, and he grabbed one and twisted it open, taking a few long gulps. He let out a small sigh of satisfaction before crossing back to his chair to finish his crackers and water. He did so in silence, trying to keep his mind occupied and away from the dark corner hanging in the back of his thoughts. He thought about the earth. He didn't have much there, but what he did have he wouldn't trade for the world. On earth, he had Shiro. He huffed out a small breath, feeling his chest constricting.

 _No,_ he mentally scolded himself. He wouldn't allow himself to think about Shiro, not now when he had so many other things he needed to focus on. His mouth was dry, and he finished off his bottle of water, throwing it into the small trash hatch. He took a breath and stood again, this time with less pain than before. Slowly, he crossed to the back of the control room and pressed the small button off to the side. The door hissed open, and he let out a small sigh of relief to find the small passage relatively unharmed. He stepped back into the main control room and groped around on the floor for his shirt, tugging it on over his head. He pulled his jacket on over the torn shirt and grabbed his bayard, finding comfort in its familiar grip. He made his way back to the hall, footsteps echoing back at him. Finally, after what seemed like far too long, he came upon the final door. He took a deep breath and activated his bayard, feeling the familiar power surge. He slowly lifted it before smashing his hand onto the switch, and the doors drew apart. Instantly, purple light flooded the room.

A/N: Sorry for taking so long! Please leave a review if you liked it! So, that season two... My fucking god. So beautiful and so heart wrenching. AND THE HUG! THE SHEITH HUG. I AM DEAD INSIDE AAAAAAH. Anyways, Chapter three will hopefully be out soon :,)


	3. Chapter 3

Shiro woke with a start. Well, woke wasn't really the right word, seeing as how he hadn't really been sleeping. Just drifting in and out of consciousness and whenever he began to fall asleep, screams would jerk him back to reality. His nightmares used to be filled with his own shouts and views from the coliseum, but now they were over run by Keith's cries of fear and pain, ending with an abrupt cut off when static would fill his mind. And then, he would wake, panting and covered in sweat, eyes wide and flitting around his room to take in even the smallest of details. To his sleep deprived eyes, he saw nightmares in each shadow, groans and electricity humming through the castle sounding like a terrible beast bearing down on him. Every instinct in him yelled for him to flee, to run until he couldn't run anymore.

He forced these thoughts down and took a deep breath, slowly counting in his head. It seemed childish, but it worked. Back when he was simply known as "the Champion", he could hear the screams of other prisoners from his cell. So, he would count. He would focus completely on the numbers, visualizing them in his minds eye until he fell asleep. He hadn't had to do this for months. It had been easier with Keith there. Keith understood how it was to wake from a nightmare so vivid that it carried over into the waking world, making him jump at shadows. They would comfort each other, seeking the safety of the others embrace. He still remembered the first night it happened. He had awoken to a soft knocking on his door and stood, carefully making his way to it. His hand paused, however, before it could grip the handle as memories from his latest night terror filled his mind. His arm shook and he broke into a cold sweat as he stood there, frozen in fear until the knock sounded again.

"Shiro?" Came a timid voice. "I-it's Keith"

Shiro took a breath and opened the door, revealing the red paladin. He was wearing the clothes that had come with the rooms, which were slightly too large for him. A gray t-shirt hung off of his shoulders and a pair of black sweat pants swept the floor at his feet. Shiro smiled, relieved. His heart rate was slowly going back to its regular, steady rhythm.

"Hey Keith. What's up?" He asked, trying to sound casual and not like he had been fully prepared to attack him with a lamp less than 30 seconds ago. Keith looked down, wrapping his arms around himself in a protective pose.

"C-could I come in?" He asked slowly, a light red spreading across his face. Shiro looked at him for a second, confused, before stepping back and allowing access to the room. Keith nodded his thanks and walked hurriedly in, breathing a sigh of relief when he heard the door slide shut behind him. Shiro placed a hand on his shoulder and he felt some of the tension leave the young paladins body, but he didn't speak.

"Keith?" He asked, worry lacing his voice. "What's wrong?"

Keith sighed and violently scrubbed at his red eyes before looking around the dark room.

"Do you think we could turn on a light?" He asked, voice quiet. Shiro nodded and quickly crossed to his nightstand, flicking on the small lamp, casting light across the room, but not too much. A few of the corners remained bathed in darkness. Keith quietly thanked him, hugging himself tighter. The two remained in silence, Shiro watching Keith and Keith watching the floor. Finally, Keith spoke.

"Do you get... nightmares?" He questioned in a shaky voice. Shiro tensed, the question catching him off gaurd.

"Yes." He answered shortly. Keith's shoulders sagged a little bit further.

"Is this what you came here about? Nightmares?" He asked, cringing when it came out sounding more aggressive than he had thought. Keith, luckily, didn't seem to notice. He just let out a huffed laugh and lifted a hand to his hair, raking it across his scalp and holding it up and out of his pale face.

"I-I'm not sure. I woke up from... I woke up and something, just a gut feeling told me to come find you, that you could... you could help." He forced out. His hand curled tighter, and Shiro could see his hair being pulled taut. Without thinking, he reached out and gently grabbed his hand and pulled it away, watching the strands slowly fall back into place. His eyes drifted down to Keith's, watching the sparkling blue of fear slowly recede. Finally, Keith let out his breath and leaned forward, resting his head on Shiro's shoulder, who, in response, wrapped his arm protectively around Keith's waist. He felt the final bits of tenseness leave Keith as he slumped into the embrace, taking comfort in the warmth. They were so close, he felt when the first sobs broke out of Keith, being muffled as he pressed his face into the soft fabric of Shiro's shirt. He moved his hand to gently press against Keith's back, rubbing in small circles while keeping his other hand intertwined with Keith's, pressed between their chests.

"Shhh, it's okay, let it out" he whispered into the top of Keith's head, clinging to him tighter when he felt the sobs harden, heard the breaths sharpen. And so they stayed like that, clinging to one another in the dark as Keith let out the tears he had been holding in for so long. After what seemed like an eternity, Shiro felt the strain go out of Keith as he leaned heavier into Shiro's chest. The two remained standing for a few more seconds until Keith lightly pushed away, furiously scrubbing at his eyes.

"I-I'm sorry" He finally said, taking a few more steps back and bumping against the door.

"No, it's fine. I understand where you're coming from. Don't be sorry" Shiro said sincerely, staring into Keiths smoky blue eyes. Keith's face flushed a slight pink as his hand smacked around on the wall for the button to open the door. He finally found it and the door slid open. Keith turned and took a few steps into the dark hallway and Shiro followed, reaching out to grip Keith's arm. "Keith, wa-" He stopped apbruptly, staring down the dark halls. Keith stopped as well, eyes wide and scared as he stared into the black. Finally, Shiro spoke.

"You can stay"

It wasn't a question. It wasn't a demand. It was a plea. Some part of him knew that this was wrong, that Keith had simply needed comfort which he had now recieved, and that now he would go back to his own bedroom and nothing else would happen. That part of him was completely dominated by the urge to grab Keith, to hold him close, to keep him safe, and to let him know that he is loved. Shiro watched as Keith barely started to shake, silent tremors running through him. After what felt like an eternity, Keith took a few steps back into the room and the door slid shut behind him.

"I'll stay" Keith whispered, face pale. Shiro breathed a sigh of relief.

"You can take the bed" he said, nodding to the sheets spread across it. Shiro moved to grab a couple of extra blankets from the closet, but Keith stopped him.

"C-Can you... sleep with me?" he asked, face burning as he refused to meet Shiro's eyes. Shiro went a light shade of pink, caught off guard. He smiled gently and nodded, allowing Keith to gently pull him to the bed. Shiro turned off the light and the two shifted around, trying to find the best way to situate themselves. Because it was a small bed, there was no way for them to sleep without being in contact. Eventually, they wound up with Keith tucked under Shiro, who had his arms wrapped tightly around his narrow shoulders. Kieth sighed in contempt, pressing his forehead against Shiro's chest and listening to his heart beat. Just as he was drifting off, Shiro's voice pulled him back to consciousness.

"Keith, I need you to know that I'm not just doing this as a friend"

Keith looked up at him, eyes blurred with sleep.

"What?" he asked in a light voice, confused. Shiro smiled at him.

"I don't want to mislead you, Keith. I've wanted to do this for a long time. I... I've wanted you for a long time. Keith, I like you. A lot" he blushed at the childish way of putting it, but didn't remove his gaze from Keith's face. He waited with bated breath for his response. Instead of answering, Keith forced himself up, stretching an arm out to grab the back of Shiro's head and pulled him into a kiss. Shiro gasped lightly in surprise, but kissed Keith back, trying hard not to smile. Keith broke away from the kiss and shifted back into his original position, falling asleep almost instantly. Shiro stared at him for a few more seconds, mouth hanging open before he smiled and moved back to holding Keith before falling asleep, all nightmares forgotten.

It had been easier with Keith. After that night, they had fallen into a pattern. After the other Paladins had fallen asleep, one of them would sneak into the others room and they would fall asleep like that, wrapped in each others arms. If one had a nightmare, the other was there to hold them and comfort them until they fell asleep again. It had become their schedule, but that changed after their meeting with the Blade of Marmora.

After their discovery of Keith's Galra genes. Many nights Keith would sleep alone, denying Shiro access to his bedroom. On the few nights that they were together, Keith wouldn't tell Shiro about what had woken him, and Shiro never pushed. He wished he did. He wished he had tried harder. He should have made Keith come clean about what he was keeping inside. He should have held Keith more, and let him know that he didn't care that Keith was half Galra. But he didn't. Maybe if he had, he wouldn't be sitting here now, drowning in regret. He couldn't fall back asleep, so he simply sat there trying to muffle his sobs as best he could until the castle lit up, alerting them to morning.

A/N: So you can probably tell that by the end of this chapter, I just wanted it DONE. Sorry for the weirdness of this one. I hope you guys enjoyed it regardless. Thanks for all of the views and lovely comments! They always make my day so much better. Also, I might have a Valentines special soon? I'm not sure yet, but hopefully I will! Love you guys!


	4. Chapter 4

Lance paced around in the work room. He would occasionally grab one of Pidge's small inventions and fiddle with it before replacing it and re-entering his cycle of pacing and fiddling. After half an hour of this behavior, Pidge groaned and slammed her computer shut. This broke Lance out of his trance long enough to wander over and place a hand on her shoulder. She sighed and looked up, deep bags clinging to the underside of her eyes.

"Sorry, I'm just stressed. The Galra fire walls are getting more advanced and I can't get past them. The location of the Red Lion is being kept strictly confidential. Hell, it might not even be in their records. They could easily be avoiding making any type of record just so that we can't possibly find it." She raked a hand through her hair before pulling off her glasses and gently massaging her eyes, leaning back in her chair.

"What about the castle? Can't Allura's alien powers find it or something?" Lance asked, eyeing some of the papers Pidge had scattered about. Each had some scribbled writing and a grid. Most had some sections circled. All had a big red X through them. Pidge sighed again, kicking her legs up and propping them on the edge of her desk.

"No. There's some sort of signal blocking it. While we were so focused on the war, they were finding ways to keep us from finding them. Luckily, it doesn't look like they can hide everything. Also, we were able to capture one of their drone fighters and I think I'm close to finding out how they did it" She dropped her legs down and stood, crossing to another small worktable and picking up a tiny chip and holding it up to show Lance. It had a couple of thin wires running from it to a glowing purple crystal that was being kept under a glass dome.

"This chip is currently sucking out the information from this crystal which I got off of the fighter drone. It'll take a few days and it'll be slow work, but any progress is good progress" She set the chip back down carefully.  
Lance bent at his hips to stare intently at the Galra crystal, poking the glass dome a few times before Pidge smacked his hand away.

"How are they even keeping information on crystals? I thought that our chips and stuff had codes programmed into them. How can they do that with gems?" He asked, still squinting at the dome. Pidge clapped and rubbed her hands together, smiling wide.

"I'm so glad you asked!" she exclaimed, sprinting back to her desk and grabbing a bunch of papers. Lance gulped.  
*****

"So pretty much, they've been able to rewrite the crystalline structure to carry codes and information that our computers are trying to decipher now. They've rewritten nature!" She finally finished, eyes gleaming. She turned away from the charts she had pulled up, only to find Lance completely slumped back in the chair, head tilted to the side with a bit of drool staining his coat at his shoulder. Pidge sighed and adjusted her glasses.

"No one ever stays awake for the whole presentation" she grumbled to herself, grabbing all of the papers and crossing back to the crystal to check on its progress. Before she got there however, the door to her work room slid open and Shiro walked in. Pidge dropped her papers, caught completely off guard at how Shiro looked. To put it nicely, he looked... bad. His eyes were red and he had dark purple half circles clinging underneath them. His face was a mess of splotches and his usually uniform hair was sticking out in all directions. Even his clothes, which he always kept in perfect condition, were wrinkled and appeared to have been thrown on quickly.

"Pidge" he said as the door slid shut behind him, eyes falling on the green paladin.

"My god, Shiro, you look terrible" she blurted, not even bothering to attempt hiding her shock. Shiro grimaced before stooping to help her pick up her fallen papers.

"How's the tracking coming?" he asked, voice holding the tiniest shimmer of hope. Pidge swallowed, not wanting to be the bearer of bad news.

"I-It's coming along fine. It's fine. Just... slow, you know? Trying to hack past the Galra empire takes a little time!" She laughed nervously. Shiro crinkled his brow in concern before smiling.

"It's okay, I get it. Thank you so much for this. You look tired, you should go rest" he said quietly, placing the papers onto the table. Pidge silently nodded, thinking about how nice a nap would be.

"Thanks, Shiro. You should go try to get some sleep too, you look exhausted." She pointed out. Shiro grimaced again for just a second before returning back to his neutral smile.

"I will. Don't worry about me. Now go get some rest."  
Pidge nodded again before walking to the doors, stretching and yawning.  
Shiro stood there for a moment, unsure of what to do. He dropped into a shallow crouch to closer examine the Galra crystal. It was glowing a faint purple, almost seeming to pulse. He lifted his hand, his Galra one, to touch it but was stopped just as he felt energy jump between the gem and his arm as he heard rustling behind him. He yanked his arm back, unsure of what had made him want to touch the thing. After a moment he turned, watching Lance stretch and open his eyes. He gazed around the room through half lidded eyes.

"Where'd Pidge go?" he asked as his eyes finally landed on Shiro. That woke him up. He sat straighter and his eyes became less tired and more annoyed.

"Oh. Hi, Shiro" he said in a flat tone. Shiro grit his teeth. He was sad and tired, and that didn't do much to help his nerves. He clenched his hands into fists.

"Hi, Lance. I was just about to wake you" he said, voice neutral. Lance just grumbled and stood, stretching his arms above his head. Shiro let out a breath, knowing that something was bugging the younger man and no matter how badly he wanted to just walk away, it was ultimately his responsibility to take care of the team.

"What's bothering you, Lance?" he asked, trying to sound sincere. Lance turned to him, anger flaring in his eyes. The two stayed like that for a few moments, Shiro caught in Lance's icy glare. Finally, Lance smirked.

"Take a guess" he said venomously.

"Is it K-... Keith?" Shiro asked, voice catching on his name. A dagger of pain tore through him, but he kept his gaze trained on Lance.

"Of course it's Keith! Who the hell else would it be?" Lance shouted. Shiro took a step back, not expecting the outburst. Lance stalked forward, continuing on. His hands were balls at his sides as he pressed Shiro further and further across the room. " You act like you're the only god damn one on this entire castle who's upset. We all lost Keith, okay? We all saw and heard all of the things you did that day! Do you think that you're the only one who stays up at night? Every time I close my eyes all I see is his panicked face, all I see is the fear and desperation in his eyes, all I see is his PAIN just before his camera went out!" He shouted. He now had Shiro backed into the wall. He stared at Lance, shocked. This attitude was so out of character for the younger man, and he couldn't seem to figure out where it was coming from. Then, it hit him.

"You loved him" Shiro said simply. Lance scowled as his face blazed crimson, but he didn't deny it. Instead, he took a few steps back and crossed his arms, glowering at the ground.

"I'm sorry, Lance. You're right. I didn't think about how you guys would be feeling, and that was wrong of me. I'm sorry"  
Lance took another few steps back, shifting his arms so he was hugging himself. His expression changed as well, anger melting into sadness. He blinked rapidly.

"We...we can't lose you too, Shiro" he confessed in a broken voice. Shiro stepped forward and wrapped his arms around the younger man, gently rubbing his back. They were silent for a few minutes as Lance calmed down.

"Please, please don't do this to yourself, Shiro. We're all right outside your door whenever you need to talk" Lance said as they broke their hug.

"I'll remember that. Thank you, Lance. I'm going to go see what Hunk is cooking. You look tired, you should go rest" he said, trying to sound truthful and sincere.  
Lance nodded before yawning and walking off the same way Pidge had gone. Shiro stared after him for a few moments before turning, making his way to the Black Lion's hangar.  
He got there in just a few minutes and silently entered Blacks cockpit. He felt him purr in response to his paladin. Shiro simply sat in the seat and leaned forward, resting his head in his hands.

"I don't know what to do, Black" was all he said before slipping into a restless sleep.

~~~~~~~  
Keith was running. He was panting-no, heaving. He had a hand pressed into his side while his other hand firmly gripped his Marmora sword. He had gashes along his body. One on his face was dripping blood into his eyes while another on his collarbone was staining his already dirty shirt. The thunderous sounds of countless soldiers running after him echoed through the halls. Keith turned right before skidding to a stop.

"No!" he cried, voice anguished. In front of him was a tall set of locked doors. He heard the Galra soldiers already cutting off his only escape route. He turned just as the countless bodies piled on him. And, just like that, the Red Paladin was now a prisoner of the Galra.

~~~~~~  
Shiro jerked awake. He blinked a few times, recognizing the inside of Blacks cockpit. HIs eyes were wide and sweat dripped down his face, mixing with his tears. He slowly evened out his breaths. That was just a dream. That couldn't be happening, right?

"That wasn't real, right Black?" he asked, anxiety crawling up his skin. His lion had been known to take him other places so he could see what was going on elsewhere. He prayed now wasn't one of those times. A low, sad grumble confirmed his worst fears. His hand covered his mouth as he leaned back in his chair, new tears springing forth. He knew all too well what it meant to be a slave of the Galra. He couldn't see it happen to Keith. But, no matter how badly he wished it wasn't true, he couldn't change what was. The Red Paladin was down.

 **A/N: ANGST. So I feel like shit and kinda want to die but that's fine. Here's the next chapter. Sheith gives me a will to live. Also, that wasn't the end of Lance's jealousy. Trust me, there will be more. Please leave a review if you liked it, they really do make my day. Thank you guys, love you all!**


	5. Chapter 5

Keith had his head slumped low, chin almost touching his chest and bangs hanging low to cover his eyes. He shuffled his feet along the metal floor. The Galra drones leading him suddenly tugged on the chain around his neck and he stumbled, barely catching himself. The sudden strain he'd put on his knee caused pain to shoot up his right leg. He bit back a whimper and sped up his pace slightly. The Galra drones who'd taken him down hadn't been kind. They'd reopened the gash on his side and added scrapes, cuts, and bruises all over his body. He was sure something was wrong with his knee, but he refused to acknowledge it. They walked down hall after hall, each lined with more and more drones. Everything looked the same, and Keith wasn't sure he'd be able to make it back to red. Not without her help, anyways. Finally, he was pulled around a corner to a new hall. It seemed... grander. High archs scraped the ceilings, draped in black, purple, and silver. Tall, black doors rose ahead of him. Dread started pooling in the pit of his stomach as he was dragged to them. The drone placed its hand on a scanner and the doors swung open. Inside was a large throne room. To the left and right, lining both walls, were windows opened to the expanse of space. All of the grand carpets were lined towards the center piece of the room. Zarkon sat upon a tall, dark throne, and the Witch stood behind him. Keith was dragged roughly up the steps to Zarkons throne and was stopped a few away from him. Zarkon made a flick of his wrist and the drones stepped back to the base of the stairs, kneeling.

Keith remained standing, locked in a stare off with Zarkon.

"kneel" he grumbled out, low but calm. Keith's gaze didn't waver.

"Kneel" Zarkon said again, this time with more force upon it. He reached forward and grabbed the chain hanging from Keith's neck, giving it a hard tug. Keith fell forward and, with his hands tied behind his back, wasn't able to stop his head from smacking into the chair. He felt a crack and blood gushed from his nose. It would've stained the carpet if it weren't already black.

"Thet's better" Zarkon growled, leaning back in his throne. Keith kept his face in the carpet, deciding it would be better for him to look at anything but Zarkon.

"The Red Paladin," Zarkon purred. "My age old enemy. Here I was thinking that I'd actually have to try to get a paladin, but no. That beast did it for me. I didn't even have to lift a finger."

Keith grit his teeth but remained on his knees. He couldn't lose control. Not now.

"Hmm, only if it were this easy to get my hands on my Champion again..." He trailed off. Keith tensed and shot up, eyes brimming with hatred. He cringed as his weight resettled on his injured knee but kept leaning back until his spine was straight and he glared into the yellow slits of Zarkon's eyes.

"He's not the Champion, and he's not yours" he hissed. Anger was lashing at his mind, begging to be released.

"You can remove the fighter from the colliseum, but you can't remove the colliseum from the fighter. He will always be the Champion, and he will always be mine. After all, who else would he belong to?" He leaned forward and gripped Keith's face, a claw digging into his cheek and scratching just deep enough for a small trickle of blood to come free. "You? Do you really think that you can contain him? 'heal him'? There isn't an inch of his mind we haven't seen" he stated, gesturing at the Witch, who flashed him a sickly smile.

Keith felt sick. He tore his face back with a violent whip of his head and Zarkon laughed, a deep and cruel sound.

"He will learn what it means to be a Galra in due time. He will learn to obey" He waved over another drone and before Keith could register what was happening, he was being shoved roughly back down. He felt a painful stap at the base of his neck and he groaned. It felt like liquid fire was being injected into his bloodstream. It coursed through his body and he reared back, a scream ripping itself from his throat. He stared at the ceiling as the pain began to subside and realized that he could now see everything in a sharp clarity. Moments later, he sunk back to the ground and blackness overwhelmed him.

A/N: Sorry for the hiatus! Let me know your thoughts. Thanks guys!


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